Charles Coulson Rich (August 21, 1809 – November 17, 1883) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. He led one of the first groups of Mormon pioneers west under the leadership of Brigham Young, from Illinois after Joseph Smith's murder.

Rich was chosen and served as an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) under Brigham Young after the Church settled in Utah Territory. President Young asked Charles Coulson Rich to open up San Bernardino, CA. for settlement in 1850, and Bear Lake Valley, UT and ID, in 1863. Charles Coulson Rich founded many communities in Bear Lake Valley, (in both Utah and Idaho) including Paris, Montpelier, Fish Haven, Ovid, Georgetown, St. Charles, Bloomington, Bennington, Wardboro, Dingle, Pergram, Glencoe (the previous in Idaho) and Garden City, Meadowville, and Laketown (Utah).

In 1838, Rich married Sarah D. Pea (of Looking Glass Prairie, Illinois), whom he had previously proposed to by letter, the two never having met.[1] Rich followed the church's principle of plural marriage, taking six wives and fathering a total of 51 children.

In 1863, Rich led a party of early Mormons to colonize parts of southeastern Idaho, which at the time was thought to be part of Utah Territory. The communities of Paris and Geneva, Idaho, as well as some other neighboring towns, were under his direction. Rich died in Paris in 1883 at the age of 75, after suffering several debilitating strokes. His daughter, Ada May Rich, became the mother of Laraine Day, who became an actress.[2]

Rich helped form a Latter-day Saint settlement in San Bernardino, California. However, this settlement attracted many people who wanted to avoid Young and other leaders of the LDS Church. The members who supported Young were asked to return to Utah in 1857 at the time of the Utah War. At the request of President Brigham Young, Charles C. Rich settled the Bear Lake (on the Utah–Idaho border) region and is the namesake of Rich County, Utah and St. Charles, ID.

In the early 1860s, Rich served as president of the British Mission of the church.